The efficiency of an electric generator can be improved by using high temperature superconducting windings (hereinafter HTS windings). However, the HTS windings are sensitive to mechanical bending and tensile stresses that can cause premature degradation and winding failure. For example, bends formed in high temperature superconducting rotor windings to circumscribe a cylindrical rotor core induce winding stresses. Normal centrifugal loads, thermal mechanical load, rotor torque, transient fault condition torques, and over-speed forces induce additional stress forces in the rotor windings. These over-speed and fault conditions substantially increase the centrifugal force loads on the rotor coil windings beyond the loads experienced during normal operating conditions.